Of Mice and Men Essay American Dream: “The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (dictionary.com). In Steinbeck's book “Of Mice and Men” Steinbeck uses the literary devices such as allusion, archetype, and foreshadowing to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument; how the Great Depression affected individuals and their own American Dreams. Through the use of allusion, Steinbeck uses the poem “to a mouse” by Robert Burns to show that “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” or no matter how carefully something is planned, something could still go wrong with it. This quote relates to Lennie and George to their “American Dream”; "'Well,' said George, 'we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof...'"(Steinbeck 14-15). Although they had big plans they all started crumbling down when Lennie started getting into trouble and by the end of the book had to be killed for his own good. While Lennie and George's hopes and dreams are being crushed, so are the mouses. In the …show more content…
poem “ To a Mouse” Burns shows the mouse having set up a little nest in winter hoping to be nice, warm, and safe when the wind and snow approach, then bang! Everything ruined, the little nest the mouse created, gone, the farmer accidentally ran over the nest plowing the field, killing the mouse's dream for winter, both the poem “ To a Mouse” and novella “Of Mice and Men” relate to the main topic of lost hopes and dreams. While “Of Mice and Men” occurs in a very specific time period, each of the characters can be thought of as not only a character, but as an archetype of a specific group in the Great Depression. Steinbeck labels the groups through each chapter, Lennie being the archetype of the “mentally impaired”, Curley's wife the archetype of the women, and lastly, Crooks, the archetype of African Americans all during the Great Depression. Steinbeck shows the harsh prejudice attitudes towards these three characters in many ways. In the novel Lennie Smalls portrays the “mentally impaired”. This is shown by Lennie being “simple-minded and childlike”, close to the end of the book Lennie confesses to George saying"'I done another bad thing.' It don't make no difference.'"(Steinbeck 98) this displays for the reader that Lennie, who has just killed a person, doesn't know right from wrong and somewhat confesses like a child. Steinbeck doesn't name Curley's wife in the novella, which tells you that people in the Great depression did not see women as important or as equal to men, let alone she was a possession, “Curley’s Wife”. Lastly Crooks, Steinbeck introduces the reader to Crooks rather differently than the rest of the characters in the novella. He goes more into depth with him, showing how important he was to the readers, Steinbeck showed how he saw him, as a true person, but also how lonely he was, Crooks says to Lennie "S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that? S'pose you had to sit out here an' read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain't no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick" (Steinbeck 80). Crooks was the archetype of the people discriminated against because of their race. Steinbeck uses foreshadowing from the beginning to the end, it appears everywhere showing the reader what will happen throughout the novella. Steinbeck uses foreshadowing a great deal throughout the story and is very sneaky about it, hinting to us that Lennie is going to get in trouble and someone is going to die. In the beginning of the novella George and Lennie stumble upon a little river, running away from their hometown, Weed, after Lennie gets in trouble. George then tells Lennie if he ends up getting in trouble again, to come back to the river and hide in the brush. "'Course you did. Well, look. Lennie--if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush."’(Steinbeck 15). which foreshadows that Lennie will end up getting in trouble again later on in the novella. Before chapter one ends George says to Lennie "I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody'd shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself." (Steinbeck 13), in the quote George is telling Lennie not to run off without him, afraid that someone will mistake him as a wild animal and shoot him, which in the end of the book George ends up shooting Lennie, like a Candys dog, in the back of the head. Through the use of the literary devices such as allusion, archetype, and foreshadowing.
Steinbeck portrays to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument; how the Great Depression affected individuals and their own American Dreams. Steinbeck uses allusion to show the reader that “ the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, Archetype to show the prejudice attitudes towards each group of people during the great depression, and lastly foreshadowing to hint to the readers what will happen throughout the novella. Through the use of these devices Steinbeck is able to capture the image of the “American Dream” and portray how certain characters were truly
treated.
Many characters have hopes and dreams which they wish to accomplish. Of Mice and Men has two main characters that go through obstacles to get what they want. In the beginning it is George and Lennie running away trying to get a job. Once both George and Lennie have a job they try to accomplish their dreams. Unfortunately they both can't get their dreams to come true since lennie does the worst and George has to shoot Lennie. Steinbeck uses characterization, foreshadowing, and symbol as rhetorical strategies to make George's actions justified.
Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan states that, "in the state of nature mans life is nasty, brutish and short". In depression era America, no greater truth could be said. There were millions unemployed, largely unskilled and living on the margins of society. The lowest of the low were the migrant labourers travelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crime was rampant and despair was a fellow traveller. This is the setting of John Steinbeck's, 'Of Mice and Men'.
Everyone has an American dream, a belief that represents anyone can carry out a higher quality life through hard labor, and finding happiness at the end. These people work their lives to fulfill a dream that seems impossible, but in the end they either succeed or fail. Despite the odds, people still dive into this idea not knowing how it will end. By taking risks in life, they have a higher chance of achieving this dream of theirs. It ultimately shapes their character and spirit. Stopping at no extent, they make sacrifices to meet their main goal. This dream is put to the test in Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, which takes place during the Great Depression causing George and Lennie, mentally disabled friend, to have a hopeless American dream. Their dream ultimately shapes their character and spirit, inspiring them to achieving this dream, but others dreams are crushed due to the Great Depression; similarly Steinbeck suggests that the American dream is unattainable due to the time setting, Great Depression.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage and to pursue them.”-Walt Disney. We often persevere to achieve our goals but are held back by the slightest of things. Sometimes there is a minor setback that causes your dream to shatter and forces you to do something that you will regret. Steinbeck disrupts many characters’ dreams that all relate to the American Dream of the idea of having an equal opportunity to achieve your goals and prosper through your hard work and determination. Dreams can give you false hope and be destroyed easily, such as the dreams of Curley’s wife, George’s & Lennie’s, and Crooks’ in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men.
The American Dream started off as propaganda in order to make the American people of the early twentieth century work harder to build a successful economy. The idea of the American Dream is that every American citizen has an equal opportunity of making money along with owning a large house, some land, and having a family with kids. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates that the American Dream, no matter how simple is impossible to achieve. As everyone has their own interpretation of the American Dream, Steinbeck uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife to demonstrate how the American Dream is impossible to achieve and how important the dream was for people so they could carry on with their lives.
Of Mice and Men is one of John Steinbeck’s major novellas. It tells of George Milton and his mentally-handicapped friend, Lennie Small. George, a short, shrewd operator is the foil to Lennie: a humongous, infantile oaf whose last name “Small” embodies nothing but utter irony, for he is not by any means small. Similar to the majority of Steinbeck’s books, Of Mice and Men’s setting is in the Salinas Valley, California— however, this one takes place in the 1930s. The novel revolves around the idea of the American dream and the hurdles the characters face in their quest to achieve it. The novella takes place during the great depression. During that horrid period, each individual has their own idea of the American dream. Steinbeck touches on several themes related to the dream such as the actual dream itself, loneliness, powerlessness, and the future’s unpredictability. Steinbeck adequately utilizes these themes to depict the unfeasibility of the American dream.
Of Mice and Men is a powerful depiction of life in rural California during the Great Depression. It captures the essence of the time through the experiences of the itinerant worker and their impermanent, isolated experiences (McNeill). John Steinbeck worked with the migrant workers during his teen years; he noted their dismal, disheartening existences revealed an unrelenting cynicism that stemmed from a dearth of realistic hopes and genuine prospects (McArthur). Steinbeck demonstrates the significance of dreams in Of Mice and Men as the essential foundation of motivation and purpose; the plans of hopeful conviction despite misery and destitution clarify the fundamental difference between man and beast (Lisca). Of Mice and Men is a reflection of the era indicating the most modest dreams were beset with limitations and obstacles for the working class; for indigent, the elderly, and the handicapped, the American Dream was an idealistic effort in futility (Tomkins).
In the novel Of Mice and Men, the theme of achieving the American Dream runs throughout the entire story. It is evident that all of the characters, especially George and Lennie, want to obtain some form of the American Dream. When other characters are introduced to their plan the dream seems to become easier to reach, but also involves including these characters in buying the land, which is not what George and Lennie really want because they originally imagined it being just the two of them. Multiple situations that occur throughout the story decrease the chances of most of the characters accomplishing the American Dream.
In the 1930's, the drought across the US forced many people to travel west to find jobs, and save up money to buy a piece of land to rebuild their lives. They travel from place to place seeking jobs and acceptance during the depression. This is how it was for George and Lennie in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because they travel around looking for work and land, and hoping to find a place where they're accepted. In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie have a dream, and already have a plan ready, but as the story continues, things quickly go wrong. First, Lennie accidentally breaks Curley's hand, then kills both his puppy and Curley's wife. Because George attempts to cover up Lennie's actions, things fall apart for him too. In the story Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses Characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to prove that dreams grow out of being true to oneself at all times. First,
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck two men, George and Lennie, are trying to earn enough money to make their dream come true. In the beginning of the novel George and Lennie are running away from a town called Weed and traveling to a new farm for work. They are dropped of a few miles from the farm and come across a little pond where they spend the night. George knowing that Lennie is mentally delayed tells him that if he gets in trouble,which he will, to come back to this exact spot. While they are at the farm many things happen, they meet the farm owner’s son ,Curley, and his wife, who is very lonely and tries to get attention, they also tell they dream to the swamper, Candy, who is very excited and wants to be part of this dream. Later in the story Lennie is approached by Curley’s
Although the end of World War II brought immense joy to the world, it was a turning point for American literature. Though the war was over, it was like starting over for America as it donned a new post war era. Authors and poets used their stories and characters to portray the grim era of that time and many of them reflected a guilt and disillusionment in the American dream. Though various writers had their own ideas of what the new post war America would shape out to be, not all had positive outlooks. It was a time of change as the United States was beginning its foray to the forefront of being the new cultural center and world power. Not only did a new generation come out of the war, but its ethnic, regional, and social character was
What is the "American" dream? The American dream is being treated with respect and have joy of being able to be free to do whatever people desire. In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses prejudice to manipulate the plot. Crook's character in the book represents the unfair life and the living of some people back in 1937.
In the novella “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck tells the story of two bestfriends who rely on one another to achieve their dreams. George and Lennie are in search of work during the 1930’s, and it’s not easy with Lennie’s mental illness. Throughout the story Lennie causes trouble for most of the characters, such as the time where he ended up killing Curley’s wife. In the novella Steinbeck expresses themes of visions of America, dreams,hopes, and plans,man and the natural world, friendship and justice. These themes are introduced through symbols like the dream farm,the characters such as George , and through the settings like the pool by the river.
Dreams and hopes in one’s life are like batteries and gasoline in a car. For any function, they are essential. Dreams and hopes, even if irrational, are the main motivation in one’s life. In, Of Mice & Men, Steinbeck focuses on the American Dream’s effect on characters enduring the Great Depression. The American Dream is the ability to provide for oneself. The Great Depression is a great factor to the impossibilities of each character’s dreams. As it George, Lennie, and Curley’s Wife, each have a dream for the future. Their thoughts, actions, and future are influenced by their dreams. In the novel, the main characters, George and Lennie, are trying to stick with a job in order to make enough money to fulfill their dream of buying their own